


burning

by LadyYateXel



Series: Deep Dish Nine [7]
Category: Deep Dish Nine - Fandom, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Deep Dish Nine au, Fire, M/M, also present are Leeta and Miles and other members of the cast, but i don't want to tag them officially because they don't really 'star' in it or whatever, minor distress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-22 02:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1572965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyYateXel/pseuds/LadyYateXel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Julian returns home to discover there's been a fire in the basement of the apartments where he lives.  </p>
<p>------</p>
<p>A non-sequential part of the Deep Dish Nine Pizza Shop AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	burning

**Author's Note:**

> Much later on in the progress of the relationship than most of what has come before it. Just enjoy the non-sequential-ness of it all.

 

 

His first thought is that that's a lot of people standing outside the restaurant.

 

His next thought, as he comes closer, is that that's an awful lot of people _he knows_ standing outside the restaurant.

 

As Julian jogs up to the store front of Deep Dish Nine, it becomes clear the crowd isn't from the restaurant, but from the neighboring apartments. Mister Sisko stands out from the crowd, moving passers-by along, while Quark sits hunched on one of his outdoor tables selling bottled water to the lingering crowd. The guy who lives down the hall from Julian is texting in a ratty t-shirt and pajama bottoms. Kira's voice barks through the crowd but Julian can't understand the words.

 

It's getting to be late evening, but it's still hot. Even so, there are people outside who Julian is certain wouldn't want to be seen in what they're wearing unless they had a choice. More than a few ripped pajamas and long dressing gowns are on display and there's a few girls wearing spaghetti-strap tops and tiny, tiny plaid shorts holding laptops under their arms and phones to their ears.

 

Sisko spots him before he can call out.

 

“Julian!”

 

Julian slows his jog and repositions his bag on his shoulder. A slow tide of unease begins to rise in his stomach and he pulls his phone from his pocket. “What's going on?”

 

“Fire alarm. We've got some smoke coming from one of the basement windows, we should have-- ” A blaring siren cuts him off. “Ah, here they are! Stand aside here. Julian, help me make some room.”

 

Julian ignores him and immediately dials Garak's number.

 

It rings. No answer. Unease rises more quickly with every ring. Over the crowd, Garak's shop window is visible with the elegant purple CLOSED sign in the top corner. It's Monday. Garak doesn't open the shop on Mondays, he works in his apartment on new stock and finishes complicated or rush projects and balances books and figures and invites Julian to dinner and mocks bad bridesmaid choices and asks Julian to help him select buttons and makes _tea_ and Julian is most certainly panicking. He makes a dash toward the building, shoving and clawing his way through the shifting crowd to get to the door. He nearly collides with Odo on the doorstep.

 

“Going somewhere, Mister Bashir?”

 

“I need to get in! Garak --”

 

Odo easily blocks Julian from getting any further. “No re-entry until the fire crew gives the all clear.”

 

“But Garak --”

 

“Will be upset if you get yourself killed in a faulty laundry room. Stand aside, please.” Odo's arm crashes into Julian's chest, swiping him off to the side to make room for three men in fire suits. Julian watches helplessly as they all scramble through the front doors and into the basement.

 

“Thank you, constable, we'll take it from here.” The fire chief claps Odo on the shoulder and calls out to the crowd. “If I could get everyone to step back, please. Make some room, make some room. There will be no re-admittance into the building until we give the okay.”

 

Odo presses Julian into the crowd as the speech continues about there being police officers on scene to take reports or concerns.

 

Julian flaps his hands pathetically against Odo's arm and shoulder, nothing is happening and things are happening too quickly and if his bus hadn't had to let that old couple take ten minutes to board and then exit the bus four stops later, he might have been here sooner. “Odo, what happened? What's going on?”

 

“Something in the laundry room, from what I understand. You should be at a safe distance here.”

 

“Have you seen Garak?”

 

“No.” And then, as gentle as Odo can be. “No, I'm sorry. I'll keep an eye out for him. Can I trust you to keep back here?”

 

Julian nods limply. “Yeah, yeah.”

 

Sisko and Kira are talking to other residents, and Julian can hear what they're saying, but it's the same story from each of them. ' _I was cooking/watching tv/doing homework/on the internet/in the shower, when I heard the alarm. I got my keys and then I saw smoke._ '

 

Before he knows what he's doing, he's calling Miles. Miles will know what happened, Miles fixes that stuff all the time. He'll be able to say, 'Nah, Julian, it was just a blown fuse, and the smoke was from some guy having a barbeque behind Quark's. Everything's fine.'

 

The phone rings and rings and rings and rings and _finally_ Julian hears Miles' voice, slightly irritated. “Julian, what's going on? I've been getting a ton of calls tonight.”

 

“Where are you?”

 

“Out to dinner with Keiko and the kids. What is going on?”

 

“The basement was on fire!”

 

“What?! Are you okay? Is the building okay?”

 

“I'm fine, it's fine, the fire department is here, you can't even see any flames, it's just --” Julian runs his hand through his hand, down the side of his face, and hooks a finger on the collar of his shirt. “I haven't seen Garak, I don't know what happened, I just came home and suddenly there was a truck and everyone's just standing outside and telling me the laundry room was on fire. It's his day off, what if he's _down there_?”

 

“Okay, okay, calm down. You know Garak's too jumpy to sleep through a fire alarm and too slippery not to get out during one. Have you tried calling him?”

 

“YES.”

 

“Alright, alright. I'm sure he's fine. Knowing him, he's down there fixing it and making the firemen tea at the same time.”

 

“Okay.” It's not really an answer, but it's what comes out anyway.

 

“You remember last time? We were out there for an hour and it was because Worf microwaved popcorn.”

 

Julian can't laugh, but he appreciates the effort. “Yeah.”

 

“I'll stay on the phone with you until you get some details, okay? Let me just tell Keiko what's going on.”

 

“Sure. Sure, okay.”

 

“Just two minutes.”

 

It's ridiculous that someone on the phone should be more comforting than all the people around him, but Miles is the first thing that has eased Julian's panic even slightly since he arrived. Miles is always like this. He doesn't even like Garak, yet he still helps with gift ideas and supports crisis situations.

 

Still nothing from the basement. How long has it been? An hour? He pulls the phone away from his face. Ten minutes. About ten minutes since the fire truck arrived. Ten fucking minutes.

 

“Julian!” Leeta calls out to him and makes her way over, dodging a few other men standing around while on their phones. “Exciting fun, huh? It's been so hot I almost used the excuse to come out in my underwear and just pretend I _had_ to, but – Oh, sweetie, are you okay?” She reaches out like she's about to take Julian's temperature and then sees the phone. “ _Oh, sorry_!”

 

“It's okay, he's... I'm on hold.”

 

“You look spooked, is everything all right?”

 

“I can't find Garak.”

 

She brings her fingers to her lips and immediately understands. “Oh.” But then, just like Miles, she piles on the reassuring. “Wasn't he in his shop? Maybe he hasn't noticed what's going on. Did you call?”

 

“Yes, I called! And he's not in the shop!” Julian snaps.

 

“Okay, okay.” She places a hand on his arm and pushes gently toward Quark's. “Look, why don't we go get you a glass of water?”

 

“I--” Still no movement from the basement, though nothing appears to be getting worse. He hadn't seen smoke to start with, so maybe – What if Garak comes out and Julian isn't there? What if he's hurt? What if –

 

“Garak will call you, come on.”

 

He nods, slowly. “Okay.”

 

“Julian?” Miles back on the phone.

 

“I'm here.”

 

“Did you hear anything?”

 

“No, but Leeta's here now. We're going to Quark's.”

 

Leeta nods as though Miles can see her.

 

“That's a good idea, just sit down for a bit.”

 

Quark's is a little busier than usual. It's a hot summer evening and an entire apartment complex has been shoved out of their slightly broken air conditioning and into the thick and sticky air, so the bar is filled with other people in various states of dress drinking calming beverages.

 

Leeta leads him to an open seat. “Sit here,” she says, pushing down on his shoulders. “I'll get you something from the back.”

 

As he lowers his bag to the floor, Julian hears her call out to Rom about some water with lemon and Rom's name stabs him in the gut. Rom does electronics, maintenance, repair. Just like Miles. It could just as easily be Julian calling to Garak for tea for Leeta because _Rom_ was in the basement when it burst into flame. Or making tea for Keiko because it was _Miles_ down there _._

 

But it's _Garak_.

 

“Where are you guys?” Julian asks.

 

“A Bajoran place down town.” Miles understands.

 

“Is it good?”

 

“Yeah. They have a buffet with some international stuff so the kids don't fuss. Molly gets the macaroni and cheese and then just eats croutons, cauliflower and bits of hasperat until we let her get some chocolate pudding.”

 

“Nice. Sounds like my kind of meal.”

 

On a normal day, they'd both make jokes about that being a place Julian can't go because Garak isn't welcome. Today, they're both making the small talk they so dislike on the normal day.

 

Leeta slides into the seat beside him and sets down a glass of water. “Here.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

It's nice just to have his other hand on something, but the room is getting louder and louder as more and more people have the same idea. His phone is so old that it's heating up quickly and in this heat...

 

“I'm going to talk to Leeta for a bit, Miles. I'll text you when I know something.”

 

“I'll be here. Tell Leeta I said 'hi.'”

 

“Miles says 'hi.'” Julian reports blandly.

 

Leeta smiles and pats Julian's head as she calls into the phone. “Hi, Miles! Have a good dinner!”

 

“She said-”

 

“I heard her. Call if you need me.”

 

“Okay. Thank you, Miles.”

 

Julian hangs up and just stares at his phone, willing Garak's name to show up. The condensation from his glass collects and beads onto his hand. He forces himself to drink. The water's cold enough to really ground him, really remind him that he exists and isn't just floating through this. The water is icy as it goes down, icy as it reminds him of his body and that he's _in it_ . It feels like he really breathes for the first time in half an hour, and then, like he really _thinks._

 

“You know what really scares me, Leeta?”

 

“What?”

 

“I _just now_ thought that if someone was hurt, I might have been able to help. Right now, while I'm sitting in a bar because I panicked over one person I cared about, is the first time I thought to wonder if I could be useful for this. But when I got here, I heard 'basement,' and 'fire' and I immediately thought of _him_. I not only didn't ask Mister Sisko if there was something I could do, I ignored him when he told me to help with something.”

 

“This isn't going to make you a bad doctor. We all have moments of high emotion sometimes. It's good, it means you aren't desensitized or anything.”

 

“That doesn't seem ...”

 

“It doesn't mean you'll be a bad doctor,” Leeta repeats. “It just means you _are_ a good boyfriend. I don't think there's a sliding scale with doctor at one end and boyfriend on the other. Can I call you that? Boyfriend? Is that what it is with you guys?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, that's what it is.”

 

“You'll be okay.”

 

“I should just have better control, I should --”

 

The sirens and lights outside come back to life and the entire bar shifts toward the windows and doors, trapping Julian and Leeta in their seats as they watch an ambulance zip away. Julian's heart sinks.

 

“Ohmygod.”

 

“Julian, calm down, you don't know --”

 

But Julian is already pushing and tearing his way out of Quark's. When he staggers into the street, the ambulance is long gone. He whirls around, looking for Odo, or Mister Sisko, or Kira or Worf or just someone who will know what happened.

 

Leeta's calling his name, but he already knows she doesn't know anything.

 

The Bajoran couple he stops just shake their heads. “Don't know, someone who was in the basement.”

 

“Was it bad? Did you see them?”

 

“Don't know. Sorry.”

 

“Julian!” Leeta's managed to squeeze her way out of Quark's hauling Julian's bag. “Here, you left this.”

 

He grabs the bag and shrugs it onto his shoulders without really thinking. “Thanks. Listen, I need you to help me find Odo.” Odo would know what happened, wouldn't he?

 

“Okay, I'm on it.” She ducks back toward the restaurant, and Julian heads toward the apartment where the crowd seems thickest. Some people attempt to stop him to ask if he knows anything, but he can't even conjure a response. Suddenly, he hears Mister Sisko's voice.

 

“--upstairs for now. We'll have someone in this week to start the clean up.”

 

“How much is this going to cost?” Kira.

 

Clean up and finances. How are they talking about this? It's hard to think straight, and this is terrifying, what if he becomes the world's worst doctor? Where the hell is Odo?

 

His phone buzzes and his heart nearly leaps from his chest. It's not Garak's name on the screen, but Leeta's.

 

“Hey, I found Odo, he's out in the street pushing people back onto the sidewalks. I'm going to talk to him right now.”

 

“Thank you, I'm coming.”

 

He pockets the phone and again weaves through more aimless people. His bag weighs so much suddenly and it's tempting to drop everything.

 

“Odo!”

 

At the same moment, another voice calls, “Constable!” and the weight of the bag vanishes.

 

Garak.

 

Garak's standing at the edge of the crowd as though he just walked up, carrying a large brown paper grocery bag and a bewildered expression. Ziyal is with him, sporting a matched set of bag and confusion.

 

With Odo and his bag now irrelevant, Julian bolts toward Garak.

 

“Oh! Hello, my dear! Perhaps you can -oof!”

 

Julian flings himself against Garak with such force they nearly topple backwards. Luckily, Garak has quick reflexes and they manage to keep upright. Julian wraps his arms so tightly around Garak he could snap. There's a moment in which nothing happens and nothing moves and Julian hears nothing except Garak's breathing.

 

Garak claps Julian's back awkwardly with one free hand. “What in the world is going on?”

 

“I'm so glad you're okay!” Garak is solid in Julian's arms, and his hair soft against Julian's cheek. He feels right and he smells right and he's not in any danger at all. He can feel Garak turning to look at Ziyal, probably to give her some dignified apologetic smile, but it doesn't matter, because he's okay.

 

“I'm afraid I don't understand, love.”

 

Julian steps back enough to look at Garak's face – which is not burned or melted or fried, just confused – and tries to hold back overwhelmed tears.

 

“I came back and there was a fire in the laundry room and no one had seen you and you didn't answer your phone and I just thought...” It sounds so ridiculous put that way, he can't even believe he was so worked up.

 

“Oh.” Garak's confusion vanishes and he smiles gently. “No, I stepped out with Ziyal to show her the market. I must not have heard the phone with all the noise.”

 

Ziyal shifts awkwardly beside them. “Is everyone okay?”

 

“They took someone out, and they - no one knew who it was, and I should have been thinking better, I'm so sorry, I'm just --” Julian latches back onto Garak as though he may vanish into a puff of smoke at any moment. “I'm just so glad you're okay.”

 

“I'm fine. Sorry to worry you, my dear.”

 

In the background, Odo is explaining to Leeta that the ambulance took away someone who had tried to remove the laundry when the dryer caught fire. Minor burns, nothing too serious. Even if it had been Garak, he'd have been fine. Julian almost laughs.

 

He could stand on the street with Garak and his grocery bag for hours. What's nice is it seems Garak could too. Usually, Garak objects to extended displays of affection in places with so many people, and even Ziyal, who is still learning finer points of Cardassian norms, seems uncomfortable.

 

“This isn't Cardassian, is it?” She tries to ask softly, but Julian hears her anyway. He doesn't care.

 

“No, my dear.” Garak shifts a bit and sets his bag on the ground so he can drape his other arm over Julian. “But one can, and should, make exceptions.”

 


End file.
